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Ohio State football schedule
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Ohio State opens Sept. 5 vs Ball State, then plays at No. 4 Texas. The Buckeyes are preseason No. 1 with a tough Big Ten slate.
Background
Ohio State enters the 2026 season as the top-ranked team in both major polls, with national championship expectations. Their schedule includes several marquee matchups, including a Week 2 trip to Texas and home games against Oregon and Michigan. The season opener against Ball State marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
How it unfolded
- Aug 29, 2026Dispatch confirms Ohio State does not play in Week Zero; first game is Sept. 5 against Ball State.
- Aug 30, 2026Eleven Warriors publishes five bold predictions, noting six regular season games against Top 25 teams.
- Aug 31, 2026FBSchedules reports that FOX and CBS locked in two marquee Ohio State matchups for the 2026 slate.
- Sep 1, 2026Reports confirm FOX and CBS selected key Ohio State games: Oct. 17 at Indiana (Big Noon Kickoff) and Nov. 7 vs Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS).
- Sep 2, 2026Columbus Dispatch publishes season preview, confirming Ohio State as preseason No. 1 and detailing the full 2026 schedule.
- Sep 5, 2026Ohio State hosts Ball State at 12:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network in the season opener.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 and favorite to win the national championship, but faces a challenging schedule with six Top 25 opponents.
- Bears
- Yahoo Sports predicts Ohio State will lose at Texas in Week 2, citing Texas outplaying the Buckeyes in the second half last season.
- Support
- IndyStar predicts Indiana will upset Ohio State again, picking the Hoosiers to win 24-20 in Bloomington on Oct. 17.
Still unverified
Predictions of game outcomes (e.g., Yahoo Sports predicting a Texas win, IndyStar predicting an Indiana win) are speculative and not based on actual results.